Second, this year’s anniversary might even be more special for the ARMY, especially for the ones who had preordered a Samsung Galaxy S20+ smartphone or the Buds+ BTS edition, because it was the day when the ARMY could finally get their hands on the preordered gadgets.

The current situation, in which most people limit their spending, apparently has not stopped Samsung from rolling out the product, as the tech giant seemingly believes that BTS’ popularity is the key to winning the targeted market.

Taufiq Furqan, Samsung Electronics Indonesia’s Samsung mobile product marketing manager, said that BTS was Samsung’s global collaboration partner, which means that the limited-edition devices are also offered in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world.

“There are 15 to 20 million BTS fans worldwide, and they are the target market for the Samsung Galaxy BTS edition,” said Taufiq, adding that of all the BTS fans worldwide, 3 million of them are from Indonesia.

He went on to say that the products were only available for online purchase from Samsung's website and that consumers could buy the smartphone only, the earbuds only or both smartphone and earbuds with a special price.

“Surprisingly, 75 percent of the buyers purchased the combo package, while only 20 percent bought just the smartphone.”

It is a different case from when Samsung collaborated with K-pop girl group Blackpink in August 2019, in which it offered a combo package of the special edition Galaxy A80 smartphone, Galaxy Watch Active and Galaxy Buds, but customers preferred to buy only the smartphone, the watch or the earbuds.

Taufiq referred to the caliber of BTS as a global music phenomenon as well as fans’ dedication and purchasing power as the key to boosting sales of the Galaxy S20+ and Buds+ BTS edition.

“BTS is transgenerational symbol of pop music who bring up social issues as well as touch fans’ emotions through their songs. The group is not a one- or two-hit wonder […] and its fan base demonstrates a fandom that is the first of its kind,” Taufiq said.

Among the many who bought the special-edition products is Iwed, a mother of three in her early 40s who described herself as a full-time BTS fan and a part-time employee. She bought a pair of the special edition Galaxy Buds+ but didn’t buy the smartphone because she recently bought the Galaxy Z-Flip that has a similar purple color.

Interestingly, Iwed became a die-hard fan of BTS about a month ago, when she learned about the band from her youngest daughter.

“I was immediately swept by BTS fever,” Iwed told The Jakarta Post. “I’ve been sleeping at 2 a.m. every morning because of BTS […] as I’ve been catching up on seven years of their music and videos.”

Meanwhile, Mirah, a public relations officer in her early 30s, bought a pair of Buds+ because she is a big fan of BTS. She didn’t buy the smartphone because it has an Android-based operating system while she is already an iOS user.

Mirah initially stumbled upon BTS’ song Boys with Luv back in 2019 on Spotify while listening to some random playlist in her office. She became curious and searched the band and found out about BTS’ campaign with UNICEF promoting self-love and acceptance.

The band’s initiatives impressed Mirah, who was later fascinated by BTS’ two sold-out concerts in London’s Wembley Stadium in 2019 and recently, the band’s latest Japanese album Map of the Soul: 7 ~ The Journey ~ that topped the Oricon album chart on its first-day sales.

ARMY members are known as collectors of the group’s merchandise and for them, buying a pair of BTS-edition earbuds is quite natural. First of all, with all the social restrictions and confinement at home, having a reliable device that can be used for work or entertainment may feel highly convenient and allows them to feel more connected to their idols.

And when BTS voices its concerns over issues that fans can resonate with, the connection — and the impulse to acquire items related to the group — could become stronger.

“BTS’ music kept me going with their positive message. My favorite song is Spring Day; it gives us a gentle yet powerfully reassuring reminder that no matter how dark things are, the morning always comes and everything will be okay,” said Mirah, who purchased the album Map of the Soul: 7 ~ The Journey ~ digitally the day it was launched and uses her Buds+ to listen to songs from the album, including two hit singles Stay Gold and Your Eyes Tell.